What to check with OBD2.

The top is secured with several clips.

 

Yes, you can

 

I think the Prius probably won't be a right fit for you look for a Yaris It's a reliable Toyota same engine is the Prius almost similar gas mileage You might not notice the difference to be honest about it unless you've got a lot of driving to do If you're not going to keep a Prius in the wind as in your nice person in the seat you might want to look at something that's better suited to you if you're going to work and parking the car in the sun all day while you're in work doing whatever you probably don't need a Prius to be honest about it so there are things like that you've got to get worked out internally You're looking for guarantees and you're not going to find them with a scan tool generally speaking The scan tool is generally used for when something is wrong and there are lights on the dash and things to go with that and you have a capable scan tool that will read all 21 computers in the Prius that you're looking at then you get information I don't know whether that will help you buy the car or not most Prius of this genre that you find are sitting in the tow lots and sitting in people's yards for sale for a reason like the ones you're talking about not dealing with That's why I buy them for 5 and $700 because I know what they need and I'm going to put it on them and drive them to 600k most people aren't looking to do that they're looking to have a cool cute little car for a little while and sell it so they can buy a generation 3 a generation 4 of Volkswagen whatever they're doing so you know I don't know people personally don't really care about all that a generation two is quite a superior car to a lot of other vehicles but with that superiority comes some interesting maintenance many people don't need to be up for the interesting maintenance they could just buy a Yaris or a Scion XA and I could go on and on and get nearly the same thing without the special maintenance problems. So obviously you want these problems or something because this is what goes with the territory I don't know how many generation twos you're going to walk up to that are going to be in near mint condition offering the price you want to pay with a very good hybrid battery the brake actuator already replaced and all the other little things already done more than likely that person would be keeping that car so there's always these things not understanding and being able to interpret some of the readings like the high and low voltage for instance You don't even know if you're looking at high and low 12 volt voltage or something to do with the hybrid battery I can't see your scanner from here so there isn't learning curve to learning how to use the scanner and what it is speaking to you about some people have this interest most do not most people really don't have any interest in working on a car even their car they just want it to work and be able to say I have a such and such and so and so and it works great whatever. Just by the questions and what's happening here. I would recommend you look at a Scion XA or a Yaris You will be a very happy camper they're good cars they're not keep up with the Joneses type cars but they're very solid reliable vehicles that I personally have driven into the 400,000 mile range and looking decent while doing it You may do something different matter of fact like an almost assure you that you will.

 

Do NOT buy an old Prius unless you can fix any problem that may occur by yourself. If you need someone else to fix a problem, it will be a very expensive car to keep running.

Base on what you have written in this thread, I advise that you do not buy an old Prius.

 

What you do here is you make a permanent modification with your multi-tool You see that little curve when you're standing in front of the car the radiator cap is under that little curve on that piece of plastic that juts out on your left standing in front of the car You take your multi-tool and you trim off that little half circle of plastic and throw it away now for the rest of the car's life you can remove the radiator cap and leave that piece of plastic sitting there I've done this to all my cars I can't take a picture they don't like to post here and now you can get it your radiator cap forever I know other people that take this piece of plastic off and throw it away I have 10 of them laying out here in the shop I usually keep them on my car it helps smooth out the air flow that comes through the grill and through the hood space just above the top piece of chrome in the grill so it's kind of a good thing More so to me than the bottom pieces of plastic so I keep that one but I have trimmed the little judded out half circle so I can get it my radiator cap without having to pull all six or seven of those clips out every time I want to remove the thing another way to do it if you want to keep it and whip it off quick as you attach it with a few dots of goop on the back of the piece of plastic in the right places set it down push on it for a second that dries in a few minutes that's it goop is releaseable when you're ready to move that panel you just rip it off roll up the goop throw it in the trash and apply for dots when you put it back on The only time I ever have to take it off or did was to get to the cap I ve eliminated that problem. So now the only time it'll ever have to come off again is to change the radiator change the electric fans change the air conditioning compressor and possibly for moving over the inverter to get it to break actuator so in my car probably never again needs to be removed.

 

You're a few years younger than me Do you want to start working on cars now Do you have some tools Just the basics quarter inch drive socket set various and sundry long needle nose pliers straight and angled things like that channel locks one or two jacks Is this interest you at all If not don't take this plunge Just look for a Scion XA and things like that they'll have the same engine without all the problematic finer details that get you a eight more miles to the gallon are you driving enough to really need that eight more miles to the gallon for the issues and things that have to be done? Only you can decide these things If you want to drive and enjoy and not work on the vehicle I would suggest what I'm talking about I've enjoyed farting around with my vehicles for 50 years close to it and still do many of my friends have no interest they bring the car to me because they'd be rather playing video games or something only time they're going anywhere is work related so lot of people are kind of well if the car doesn't work I don't have to go to work yeah things like that.

 

Most testers like this use a chemical that changes colors if exposed to "lots" of CO2 (combustion byproduct). Headgasket problems are very rare on Gen2 Prius.

If you want to own a Prius, I suggest getting a scantool that can check all systems for codes and data. Here's a thread that reviews several options for a smartphone. (Autel AP200 is a good choice for the money).

That said, I second the opinion that getting an old hybrid is not a good economic choice unless you have DIY repair skills.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

I see lots of Prius taxis. These are mostly Vs, Gen 3s, and still the occasional Gen 2. I don't recall seeing a Gen 4, maybe they are too small inside to make a good taxi. I think the Gen 5 is too low to be a good taxi. An old Prius is a great choice for a taxi because they are running pretty much all day long, and under those conditions they get very good mileage. And they are tall and roomy. The Taxi company either has its own mechanics or contracts the work out, so the driver isn't on the hook for the occasional big expense (HV battery, ABS, or maybe even a new fuel tank.) When I go to the pick a part there is often a dead Prius taxi or two, and they have all been in collisions. It isn't a huge sample number, but it doesn't seem like wear and tear is taking them out.

That said, the OP is not a Taxi company and different economic rules apply. If it were me I would look for a relatively old Accord, Civic, Camry, or Corolla, maybe even a Lexus or Mazda perhaps around 2010 (check particular model years for known issues). Those are all reliable cars (in general, again, check for possible problem years) and parts are widely available, as are mechanics who work on them. I would go back that far to eliminate as many computers as possible. I would avoid GDI altogether, also turbos. Old cars have dials and linkages to control the heating system, new ones have computers. Guess which costs less to fix.

 

That's the only time a generation 3 is a really good car in taxi trim or taxi type or Uber etc staying in the wind 6 days a week you'll make $400,000 mi easily and then the car will go to rattling and die I've seen it like twice and it was right around 400,000 I got one sitting here with 396 on it That's all it did stayed in the wind his whole life Uber eats Amazon flex blah blah blah humans or packagespackages it doesn't really matter